Global Ministries

BACKGROUND: Centrally located on the African continent, Sudan is currently fighting a war against its own people on three fronts: Darfur, in the west; South Kordofan state, including the Nuba Mountains region, in the south; and the Blue Nile region in the southeast.

MAJOR RELIGIONS: Sudan is mostly Sunni Islam with a small Christian population.

PERSECUTOR: The Sudanese government arrests, imprisons, intimidates and tortures Christians.

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN IN SUDAN: In Sudan, you can be a Christian and attend church openly, but you cannot evangelize. Muslims cannot convert to Christianity. Christians in South Kordofan state and the Blue Nile region have been under attack for decades. Churches, schools, homes and fields have been bombed and destroyed. There is little medical care and little food because farmers have been unable to work their fields due to bombing. In Khartoum, the government is systematically destroying church buildings and pressuring church members. Three prisoners were released last year after much international attention. The government regularly detains and imprisons Christians, as it has since the 1970s. Short-term detentions as a form of harassment are becoming more common than long-term imprisonments.

ACCESS TO BIBLES: Instability and a complete lack of infrastructure make it impossible to obtain a Bible in South Kordofan state and the Blue Nile region. In addition, most Christians are too poor to afford one.

VOM WORK: VOM provides clean water, medical care, Bibles and support to believers living in South Kordofan state and the Blue Nile region.